Korean Air launches nonstop service between Seoul, IAH

Passengers sit inside the Korean Air Lines Co. first class lounge as the company's aircraft stand on the tarmac at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, on Friday, April 5, 2013. Korean Air, which counts Samsung Electronics Co. as its biggest source of revenue, expects passenger demand to increase 3.9 percent this year as economic growth in the U.S. and Asia, help mask a downturn in European demand. Photographer: Jean Chung/Bloomberg

Passengers sit inside the Korean Air Lines Co. first class lounge...

Korean Air's addition of nonstop service between Houston and Seoul could strengthen economic ties between the two countries and encourage Koreans to move to the city, observers say.

The airline announced Wednesday a new four-day-a-week flight starting May 2 between Bush Intercontinental and Incheon International airports. It will be Korean Air's first new U.S. route since 2006. Houston will be the airline's second destination in Texas and its 11th in the country.

"We're very bullish on the Americas," John Jackson, vice president of marketing for North and South America, said in a statement. He referred specifically to Houston's business ties with South Korea and its sizable local Asian population.

Attorney Kristopher Ahn, who co-chairs Houston-Incheon Direct Flight Committee, said several local groups have worked for almost a decade to bring a nonstop flight to Houston. The committee collected thousands of signatures in support of the route, which Ahn called "the most important project in the local Korean community."

He said the 13-hour nonstop route will cut seven to 11 hours from the trip.

Ahn said the city's Korean population could rise by 10,000 after the flight's first year, and Houston could eventually have one of the largest Korean-American populations in the U.S. He said the newcomers will be drawn by space technology, the medical industry and energy companies.

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The 2010 census estimated about 11,800 Korean-Americans live in Harris County, but Ahn said he thinks the number is closer to 35,000.

More than 50,000 seats

A Korean Air 777-200 will depart Houston from Terminal D each Monday, Wednesday Friday and Saturday. In a year, that leaves 51,168 seats to be filled.

Korean Air has been flying into Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport since 1994. That area's Korean-American population doubled over that period. Last year, American Airlines began offering nonstop service between Dallas and Seoul.

Jackson said Korean Air plans to increase service in other U.S. markets this spring and summer. The airline also already serves Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

'A natural progression'

Business leaders emphasized the opportunities.

"Frankly, it's a natural progression considering the current business and cultural ties we share," Bob Harvey, president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership, said in a statement.

"As we've seen with the recent addition of other direct flights to Asia, these new connections are a catalyst for expanding Houston's international business and trade relations."

Rising trade

Combining imports and exports, Houston's trade with South Korea is projected to exceed $6.5 billion in 2013. That's up from $5.9 billion in 2012 and $4.5 billion in 2008, data compiled by the Greater Houston Partnership show. The projection is based on the first 11 months of last year.

Between 2002 and 2012, total annual trade between Houston and Korea grew at an annual growth rate of 16.5 percent, the Houston-Galveston Customs District reported. It ranks South Korea as Houston's 14th largest international trade partner by value.

"The economic and cultural ties that exist between the city of Houston and Korea continue to grow stronger in the 21st century," Houston Aviation Director Mario Diaz said.

A growing list

Last year, Air China and Turkish Airlines added nonstop flights to Beijing and Istanbul, respectively, from Bush Intercontinental. United Airlines plans to add a second route between Houston and Tokyo this spring.

Mayor Annise Parker, in a statement, called the new Korean Air route "an excellent example of Houston's enhanced status as a gateway city and key player in the global marketplace."